Any doubts gaming’s summer swoon has ended are stealth-killed from behind, courtesy of master agent Sam Fisher who is back doing his remarkably addictive sneak-and-kill thing in Splinter Cell: Blacklist. If more direct assaults on enemies are your thing, Killer is Dead and Lost Planet 3 will help you get your visceral assault fix. There’s also a stunning RPG in Tale of Xillia and the charming platformer Rayman Legends. On the home video side, it’s sex, violence and conspiracy-laden TV series week with Da Vinci’s Demons, Spartacus: War of the Damned and Ancient Aliens all scrapping for your attention, as well as the stylish magic-themed conman thriller Now You See Me, which looks to make some of your cash disappear.

Watches movies and games for work, then watches more movies and plays more games on his downtime. A movie and video game critic since 2001, Phil is the author of Secrets of a Stingy Scoundrel, Stormin' Mormon and Zeta Male. Twitter: @philvillarreal